Bulletin On the Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Results of the Three Gorges Project 2003 State Environmental Protection Administration May 2003 Content Summary..........................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1 Progress of the Three Gorges Project..........................................................................2 Chapter 2 Economic and Social Development..............................................................................3 2.1 Population, Society and Economy ......................................................................................3 2.2 Migration Settlement...........................................................................................................4 Chapter 3 State of the Natural Ecological Environment .............................................................6 3.1Climate.................................................................................................................................6 3.2Terrestrial Plants ..................................................................................................................9 3.3Terrestrial Animals...............................................................................................................9 3.4 Fishery Resources and Environment.................................................................................10 3.5 Peculiar Fishes and Rare Aquatic Animals .......................................................................13 3.6 Agricultural Ecology.........................................................................................................14 3.7 Geological Disasters .........................................................................................................16 Chapter 4 Monitoring and Researches of Eco-Environmental Experimental Stations ..........18 4.1 Wanzhou Eco-Environmental Experimental Station.........................................................18 4.2 Zigui Eco-Environmental Experimental Station ...............................................................19 4.3 Xiaogang Eco-Environmental Monitoring Station............................................................20 4.4 Terrestrial Plant Species Protection Station ......................................................................21 4.5 Estuary Eco-Environmental Monitoring Station...............................................................22 4.6 Peculiar Fish Experimental Station...................................................................................24 Chapter 5 State of Pollution Sources Discharge.........................................................................26 5.1 Investigation and Monitoring on Key Industrial Wastewater Pollution Sources...............26 5.2 Investigation and Monitoring on Urban Wastewater.........................................................26 5.3 Investigation on Urban Garbage .......................................................................................28 5.4 Investigation on Pollution in Towns to Be Moved Out.....................................................28 5.5 Monitoring of Pesticides and Chemical Fertilizers in the Reservoir Area ........................28 5.6 Monitoring of Mobile Pollution Sources ..........................................................................29 Chapter 6 Status of Environmental Quality ...............................................................................31 6.1 Environmental Monitoring................................................................................................31 6.2 Water Quality of the River in Urban Sections...................................................................31 6.3 Pollution Belt Along the River Bank ................................................................................33 6.4 Water Quality in Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River..................................34 6.5 Environmental Quality in Construction Area....................................................................36 Chapter 7 Public Health in the Reservoir Area..........................................................................40 7.1 Basic Situation ..................................................................................................................40 7.2 Statistics of Lives..............................................................................................................40 7.3 Monitoring of Diseases .....................................................................................................40 7.4 Monitoring of Biological Media .......................................................................................42 Summary 2002 is the second year of the three-year battle to tackle the most difficult tasks in the Three Gorges Project as well as a critical period for water storage in the second stage of the Project. Major annual control targets were achieved on the whole and image targets of different stages were realized on or ahead of schedule. In 2002, monitoring was carried out according to plans by the ecological and environmental monitoring network of the Yangtze River Three Gorges Project. Monitoring results indicated that: Social and economic development in the reservoir area was rapid with the Gross Domestic Production (GDP) increasing by 11.0% compared with the previous year. The industrial structure was further optimized with accruements in the second and tertiary industries increasing in terms of their proportions in the GDP. People living in the reservoir area saw improvement in their living standards and the public health was generally normal. Settlement of migrants, restructuring of relocated enterprises and protection of the environment all went on smoothly. In 2002, the overall ecological situation of the Three Gorges reservoir area remained unchanged generally. The climate was relatively warm, with normal or relatively much precipitation in most areas. Rainfall in the flood season was normal, but temporally and spatially unbalanced. Water quality of key fishery water bodies was good on the whole, while some areas were polluted to some extent; total amount of natural fishing rose to certain degree. Restructuring of agricultural industry was strengthened. With acceleration in farmland reversion to forest and grassland, the area of farmland was reduced in a large number and backup wasteland appropriate for agriculture was in short. Agricultural production still focused on grains; soil fertility of farmland decreased, but its heavy metal content was at the normal level. Orange production was not influenced In 2002, earthquake activities in the Three Gorges reservoir area were at the normal level and earthquake intensity was weaker compared with that of the previous year. In Yiling, Zigui, Xingshan and Badong-districts and counties in the Three Gorges reservoir area under the jurisdiction of Hubei Province there were 199 places with geographic disasters of landslips and collapses. Early warning of geographic disasters monitoring was initiated in an all-round way, which successfully forecasted collapses, landslips and mud-rock flows in 38 places. Geographic disasters treatment of the reservoir area was sped up and going on smoothly on the whole. In 2002, the eco-environmental experimental stations achieved periodical results in monitoring research. In 2002, various types of pollutants discharged from key industrial sources that discharge wastewater directly into the Yangtze River increased by 23.8% compared with the previous year, with major pollutions being COD and amania nitrogen. The total amount of urban wastewater discharged directly into the Yangtze River was 0.319 billion tons with major pollutants being total phosphorus, BOD5 and COD. Vessel oil wastewater treatment rate was 92.6%; vessel pollution accidents occurred 20 times in the whole year, about 50% less than the previous year and with no vital or big accidents happening. Total application amount of fertilizers and pesticides in the reservoir area decreased and the use of low poisonous pesticides such as organic nitrogen increased. However, fertilizers were still not used with a rational ratio. In 2002, water quality of the Three Gorges reservoir area of the Yangtze River was fairly good on the whole, mostly at or superior to Grade III and relatively inferior in the flood season. Overall environmental quality of the construction area was good. 1 Chapter 1 Progress of the Three Gorges Project The year 2002 is the second year of the three-year battle to tackle the most difficult tasks in the Three Gorges Engineering Project as well as a critical period for water storage in the second stage of the Project. With the concerted efforts of all parties participating in the project, major annual control targets were achieved on the whole and image targets of different stages were realized on or ahead of schedule. In 2002, seven major engineering projects were completed in the Three Gorges Project: ① the 185 m passage on the left part on top of the dam was completed at the end of April and linked up in mid May; ② the dam was open for water inflow in the upper reaches on May 1 for the second stage project and dismantlement of 410 m of the mouth gate was completed on October 25; ③ test on the permanent lock without water began on July and ended on August 15; test with water began on September 1 ahead of schedule and the navigation course in the lower reaches was filled with water